128 bad air days push Gurugram residents to take ‘smog vacations’

For Ruchika Sethi, shifting to Gurugram 18 years ago was meant to offer her family open spaces and modern living. Today, it feels like a costly mistake.

“It was 18 years ago that we shifted to Gurugram as it offered more open spaces and modern residential complexes. My daughter has underlying bronchitis. Unfortunately, we never realised that Gurgaon would become a dust bowl with rampant waste burning throughout the year, due to gross civic deficiencies, severely compromising people's health,” says Ruchika, president of Citizens for Clean Air Bharat and a resident of Nirvana Country, Sector 50.

Her daughter’s mild bronchitis has now become severe.

“Barring the monsoon days, air quality is toxic round the year, with smog conditions making the situation worse. I have tried confining my child to home, strong medications, nebulisation... nothing worked. We had to pack our bags and come to Goa. There’s no option but to flee the city around the firecrackers and smog period to protect our family’s health,” she says.

This year, for the first time in seven years, her daughter is not dependent on steroids during Diwali.

Toxic city, failing systems

Residents of Gurugram have battled 128 days of poor air quality so far in 2025, according to a new analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), which ranks Gurugram as India’s fourth most polluted city. The study counts days when PM2.5 levels exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) limit of 60 µg/m³.

Once touted as India’s premier business hub and residential magnet, Gurugram is now among the most toxic urban environments, exacting a steep toll on public health and quality of life.

Poor air quality has virtually paralysed city life each winter since 2022, with smog gripping the city and residents retreating indoors. The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) halts construction, schools switch to online classes and roads take on a lockdown-like look.

A recent study estimated that Delhi-NCR’s life expectancy has fallen by about nine years due to air pollution — but citizens say the government still does not treat it as an emergency.

‘Pollution refugees’ on the move

Many Gurugram residents are now escaping the city during peak pollution weeks, calling themselves “pollution refugees” or going on “smog vacations.” Popular getaways include Goa, Mussoorie, Pondicherry and Daman, where families can breathe easier, even in cramped spaces.

“My father has COPD and my seven-year-old boy has been coughing since Diwali. Our house turned into a hospital with air purifiers in each room and one around my father’s neck. It was nebulisation, sleepless nights,” says Raman Dayma, a software engineer from Sector 65.

“I requested my company for work-from-home for 15 days and have come to Mussoorie in a small Airbnb. Though we, a family of five, are crammed in a one-BHK, at least everybody can breathe. We put our life savings into shifting from Delhi to Gurugram, and now we have no option but to flee the poison or die.”

Interestingly, several Airbnb properties are now offering special discounts on “smog breaks”, while companies — including many Fortune 500 firms — are allowing remote work during high AQI days. Schools too are permitting students to attend classes online during winter months.

Meanwhile, local stores report shortages of air purifiers, both portable and room-size models, as residents scramble for protection.